Region prepares for substantial snowfall

Published: Monday, January 27, 2014 at 07:23 PM.

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Robbie Smith, a transportation supervisor with DOT, said workers pre-treated primary roads with salt brine Monday, working through the night and continuing the process today.

“We have five trucks to cover primary routes,” Smith said. “We’re trying to get two coats of salt brine on the ground before the storm hits. Once it starts, we’ll have plows ready to push it off.

“At this time, we’re not doing anything on secondary routes. We will toward the end of the storm, but we want to get the primary ones taken care of first.”

Kinston City Manager Tony Sears said he had a staff meeting Monday in preparation for the snowstorm and will wait until today to make any decisions on closing City Hall.

“It’s really difficult because at times, the meteorologist predictions can be altered,” Sears said. “Sometimes, the mountain ranges can affect the rate of the snow, and we’ll plan accordingly. If it speeds up, we’ll react quicker. I want to refrain from making any decisions until I have everything in front of me.”

Bill Johnson, director of Kinston Department of Public Safety, said there will be additional personnel on duty, especially on the fire department side.

“We’ll have some workers (today) prepared to stay over on Wednesday and those working Wednesday starting their shifts early to have twice as many employees,” Johnson said. “We have a zone concept, meaning we’ll have twice as many reserve engines and ladders at each station as usual for emergencies, instead of having to depend on one station on the other side of town.

“If our computer models are right, Kinston would see a couple inches on the ground by 5 p.m. (today), 6 inches by midnight (Wednesday) and probably end up with 9 or 10 by Wednesday afternoon,” Waters said. “Kinston has had 11 inches on three occasions: March 2, 1927 and twice in 1912 — once on Jan. 13 and on Feb. 11. There was also 10.5 inches on March 3, 1980.”

Kinston Public Services Director Rhonda Barwick said despite the additional snowfall projected, the organization won’t waver from last week’s preparations.

“Our procedures are pretty much the same,” Barwick said. “We’ll be working with (the N.C. Department of Transportation) as a team. Since we’ve had issues with snow last week, we already have plows ready to go. We’ll be prepared and hope for the best.”

Robbie Smith, a transportation supervisor with DOT, said workers pre-treated primary roads with salt brine Monday, working through the night and continuing the process today.

“We have five trucks to cover primary routes,” Smith said. “We’re trying to get two coats of salt brine on the ground before the storm hits. Once it starts, we’ll have plows ready to push it off.

“At this time, we’re not doing anything on secondary routes. We will toward the end of the storm, but we want to get the primary ones taken care of first.”

Kinston City Manager Tony Sears said he had a staff meeting Monday in preparation for the snowstorm and will wait until today to make any decisions on closing City Hall.

“It’s really difficult because at times, the meteorologist predictions can be altered,” Sears said. “Sometimes, the mountain ranges can affect the rate of the snow, and we’ll plan accordingly. If it speeds up, we’ll react quicker. I want to refrain from making any decisions until I have everything in front of me.”

Bill Johnson, director of Kinston Department of Public Safety, said there will be additional personnel on duty, especially on the fire department side.

“We’ll have some workers (today) prepared to stay over on Wednesday and those working Wednesday starting their shifts early to have twice as many employees,” Johnson said. “We have a zone concept, meaning we’ll have twice as many reserve engines and ladders at each station as usual for emergencies, instead of having to depend on one station on the other side of town.

“On the police side, we’ll have additional officers on duty and we’ll make sure everything is prepared mechanically. All of the vehicles have been topped off with fuel and we made sure the equipment was functional (Monday).”

Lenoir County Sheriff Chris Hill said deputies have been making preparations as well.

“We made sure our four-wheel drive vehicles will be available to respond, made sure there was a sufficient supply of food in the jail for inmates, assessed the level of fuel for the generator and reviewed the adverse weather policy for non-essential personnel,” Hill said. “If things get rough, I want to make sure the staff gets home, and I told the essential personnel they may have to work over. Response time may be a little longer, but I don’t see real challenges unless there’s a lot of ice.”

Hill said he encourages residents to stay home to avoid accidents.

“When it starts snowing and the roads are covered, it’s best to just stay inside, stay warm and be informed as to what’s going on,” Hill said. “Don’t go out unless you have to.”

Many residents made preparations to gather provisions. Monday afternoon, Piggly Wiggly Manager Patrick Delaney said the store had an abundance of customers throughout the day.

“People are being very proactive in preparation for the storm,” Delaney said. “They’re getting out to make sure their bases are covered before the snow falls.”

Scott Yarber said he had to stock the refrigerator on a couple of occasions to meet the demand.

“The milk has been going pretty quick,” Yarber said.

Kinston resident Jo Howell said she was well-stocked, but wanted to pick up a few more items just in case.

“There’s nothing wrong with being even more prepared,” Howell said. “Most of these items will probably be gone soon.”

Dorothy Kilpatrick, also from Kinston, said she went to the store to pick up food which wouldn’t spoil in case the power goes down.

“I’ve got bread and jelly to make sandwiches, as well as pork and beans,” Kilpatrick said. “I’m getting things I won’t have to cook just in case the lights go out.”

Kinston resident John Leach, Jr. had some good advice for residents.

“Make sure you have milk, bread, canned goods, batteries, flashlights, candles and electric lanterns,” Leach Jr. said. “Also, make sure your phone is charged and if the power goes out, use your car charger. Finally, dress appropriately and make sure your pets are taken care of.”

Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.

Breakout box1:

Weather closings and postponements

n Lenoir County Schools will be closed for students and teachers today

n Jones County Schools will be closed for students and teachers today and Wednesday

n Greene County Schools will be closed for students and teachers today

n Bethel Christian Academy will be closed today for all students and teachers

n Arendell Parrott Academy will be closed today for all students and teachers

n All campuses of Lenoir Community College will be closed today for students, faculty, staff and administration

n Global TransPark Career Days, scheduled for today and Wednesday at the GTP, have been canceled. No make-up dates have been announced

n The Community Planning Workshop for the area surrounding the Kinston Music Park, originally scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed to Wednesday, Feb. 5 from 3-5 p.m.

n The Lenoir-Greene United Way board of directors meeting has been moved from today to Tuesday, Feb. 4 at noon

n Lenoir County Schools’ School System Improvement Task Force meeting has been moved from Wednesday to Tuesday, Feb. 18 from 5-6:30 p.m.

n Avoid frozen pipes — run water, even at a trickle, to help prevent them from freezing. Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing

n Keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night. Your heating bill may be a little higher, but you could avoid a more costly repair job if your pipes freeze and burst

n Never use a stove or oven to heat your home

n If you are using a space heater, place it on a level, hard surface and keep anything flammable at least three feet away — things such as paper, clothing, bedding, curtains or rugs. Turn off space heaters and make sure fireplace embers are out before leaving the room or going to bed

n Use generators correctly — never operate a generator inside the home, including in the basement or garage.